Autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles include numerous sensors and subsystems in communication with a computer that determines various autonomous operations, sometimes referred to as the virtual driver. These sensors and subsystems may have different update cycles, i.e., different timing for formulating or reformulating a subsystem actuation strategy. A brake subsystem, for example, may reformulate a strategy for whether and how hard to apply the brakes several times between each time the virtual driver updates an intended route of the vehicle.
Differing update cycles can detract from the speed, smoothness, and precision with which the virtual driver can control the motion of the vehicle. For example, if a stop sign will be reached in less than the update cycle of the virtual driver, the virtual driver may stop the vehicle short of the sign or stop the vehicle in a jerky fashion. For another example, the brake system and the engine-control system of a trailing vehicle may react in an alternating manner to the commands of an adaptive cruise control attempting to maintain a constant distance between the trailing vehicle and a leading vehicle, causing the trailing vehicle to alternately ride up on and fall back from the leading vehicle.